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BALTIMORE REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP Newsletter April 5, 2000 Land Use and Transportation Issues Around the Region ___________________________________ Welcome to the electronic newsletter on smart growth issues in the Baltimore region. See the end for more information about the Baltimore Regional Partnership and this newsletter. Website: www.balto-region-partners.org I N T H I S I S S U E 1. IN THE REGION: New Census Numbers Show Continued Suburban Growth "Clean Commute Week" Coming Up May 21-27 Calendar of Events 2. IN THE STATE HOUSE: New Commuter Choice Tax Incentives Head to Governor Reduction in "Farebox Recovery" Mandate to Become Law One 'Smart Codes' Bill Approved, Other Likely Performance Goals Bills Still Await Action in Opposite House Bicycle/Pedestrian Bills Pass Houses in Different Forms Sales Tax & Transportation Bill Remains in Senate Committee 3. ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY: New Poll Says Growth is Still #1 County Concern 4. BALTIMORE CITY: Preservationists Make Gains on West Side Plans Downtown Pedestrian Improvements in the Works 5. BALTIMORE COUNTY: Planners Recommend More Protection for 12,000 Rural Acres 6. CARROLL COUNTY: Vote on Removal of Site Plan Review Postponed Two Months April 12 Meeting Begins Rt. 140 Feasibility Study 7. HARFORD COUNTY: Tax Increases to Pay for Growth Appear Likely ____________________________________ 1. I N T H E R E G I O N NEW CENSUS NUMBERS SHOW CONTINUED SUBURBAN GROWTH In an acceleration of recent trends, new pre-2000 census data released by the U.S. Census Bureau and reported in the Baltimore Sun indicates a significant net influx of population to the Baltimore region, with most of that growth accommodated in the outlying counties. The data reflects a net increase of about 9,000 residents in the region as a whole from mid-1998 to mid-1999, with a net population gain of 22,000 people in the region's five counties and a net loss of nearly 13,000 people in Baltimore City. Howard County gained nearly 8,000 people, second in the state only to Montgomery County. Anne Arundel County gained 5,800 residents, Harford County 3,340, Carroll County 2,780, and Baltimore County 2,360. In each case the gain was larger than during the previous 12-month period. Full March 30 Baltimore Sun story can be viewed at www.sunspot.net/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?section=cover&pagename=story&storyid=1150300206444 "CLEAN COMMUTE WEEK" COMING UP MAY 21-27 With a majority of Maryland workers commuting to work alone in their cars each day, several regional and statewide entities are sponsoring "Clean Commute Week," May 21 – 27. Commuters are encouraged to take transit to work, share rides, bike, or walk to work during this last week in May. The week is an effort to highlight the contribution of automobiles to the Baltimore region's severe ozone smog air pollution problem. Ozone smog can cause eye and throat irritation, coughing, and chest pain. It may also worsen bronchitis, heart disease, emphysema, and asthma. A recent study calculated that ozone pollution sends nearly 2,000 people to Baltimore hospitals in a typical summer and causes 86,000 asthma attacks in Baltimore. At a the March 28 Transportation Steering Committee (TSC) meeting, Scot Spencer of Environmental Defense urged the TSC and Baltimore Metropolitan Council to promote the newly available Commuter Choice tax incentives as part of the week's activities. For more information on Clean Commute Week, visit www.baltometro.org/CCW2000.htm or contact Karen Kwiterovich at kkwiterovich@baltometro.com. For more information on health effects of ozone pollution, visit www.pirg.org/reports/enviro/smog/index.html or contact Dan Shawhan, MaryPIRG, at dshawhan@juno.com. For more information on Commuter Choice tax incentives, contact Scot Spencer, Environmental Defense, at sspencer@environmentaldefense.org. To get an air quality forecast during the summer months, call MDE’s Air Quality Hotline at 410-631-3247. CALENDAR OF EVENTS April 18: *Monthly TSC Meeting, 5:30 PM, BMC office, 601 N. Howard St., Baltimore. County Executives and Baltimore City Mayor will be present and extended public participation opportunity will be offered. April 25: *MAGLEV Public Meeting, 4:30-7:30, BMC, 601 N. Howard St., Baltimore. (Note location change since last newsletter.) April 26: *Draft 2001-2005 Regional Transportation Plan Hearing: 5:30 PM, BMC office. *MAGLEV Public Meeting, 4:30-7:30, Martin Luther King Jr. Library, Rm A-5, Washington, DC. April 27: *MAGLEV Public Meeting, 4:30-7:30, Laurel High School, Multi-Purpose Rm, Laurel, MD. More information on meetings above at www.baltometro.org. April 30: *The Regional Connection: Making Regional Decisions Work for Your Community, 2:00-5:00 PM, Church of the Redeemer, 5603 N. Charles St., Baltimore. For more information visit www.CPHARegionalCampaign.org _____________________________________ 2. I N T H E S T A T E H O U S E Several bills introduced in the 2000 Maryland General Assembly address smart growth and transportation issues. For up-to-date bill information, bill text, information on legislators, tools to find out who your legislators are, and votes, go to http://mlis.state.md.us. NEW COMMUTER CHOICE TAX INCENTIVES HEAD TO GOVERNOR Bills to expand Maryland's Commuter Choice tax incentives have now passed both houses of the General Assembly in identical form and are headed to the Governor Glendening's desk for his expected signature into law. The new law will build on the 50% tax credit now available to employers who pay for transit passes or van pools for employees, which took effect January 1, 2000. The new bills would allow nonprofit organizations to take tax credits from their withholding taxes, extends the credit to employers who offer employees a cash-in-lieu-of-parking benefit, and extends the credit to cover employer-sponsored guaranteed ride home programs. For more information contact Scot Spencer, Environmental Defense, at sspencer@environmentaldefense.org. REDUCTION IN "FAREBOX RECOVERY" MANDATE TO BECOME LAW This week the bill to reduce the Maryland "farebox recovery" requirement from 50% to 40% passed the state Senate, 30-15, and the House of Delegates is expected to accept Senate amendments, sending the bill to Governor Glendening's desk to be signed into law. The bill was sought by transit advocates, environmentalists, work force development organizations, and others in an effort to boost the quality and ridership of Maryland's mass transit facilities. At 50%, the Maryland state requirement for the percentage of the state's mass transit operating cost that must be met by fares is second highest in the nation only to Chicago's 51% mandate. For more information contact Jamie Kendrick, CPHA, at JamieK@CPHAbaltimore.org. ONE 'SMART CODES' BILL APPROVED, OTHER LIKELY A bill to require the adoption of a Maryland Building Rehabilitation Code to encourage the rehabilitation of existing buildings, S.B. 207, has been approved by both the House of Delegates and the Senate, and thus heads to Governor Glendening's desk for his signature. Another bill, S.B. 208, which would require the Office of Planning to draft model land-use codes for infill and "smart" neighborhood redevelopment, has passed both houses in slightly different forms. Both bills are the result of a task force convened by Governor Glendening in 1999. For more information contact Dru Schmidt-Perkins, 1000 Friends of Maryland, at dru@friendsofmd.org. Quick links to the bills available from the Maryland Office of Planning at www.op.state.md.us/INFO/leg2000.htm PERFORMANCE GOALS BILLS STILL AWAIT ACTION IN OPPOSITE HOUSE H.B. 1189 and S.B. 731, sponsored by Del. Ron Guns (Cecil), Sen. Chris Van Hollen (Montgomery) and others, each remain in the opposite house committee after passing the House of Delegates and Senate respectively. The bills would establish measurable transportation performance goals by which the public, legislature, and state government can determine if transportation funds are yielding expected results in reducing traffic congestion. The bills seek to support growth in 'smart growth' areas while reducing the traffic associated with growth and increasing the availability of transportation alternatives to driving alone. The same bill must be passed by both houses before it heads to the governor's desk for his signature into law. For more information contact George Maurer, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, at gmaurer@cbf.org, or visit www.cbf.org/action_center/speak_out/smart_trans/index.htm BICYCLE/PEDESTRIAN BILLS PASS HOUSES IN DIFFERENT FORMS H.B. 1147, sponsored by Del. Joan Pitkin (Prince George's), and others has passed both houses overwhelmingly, but in different forms. Its companion Senate bill, S.B. 884, sponsored by Senator Gloria Lawlah (Prince George's) has also passed the Senate by a wide margin. As passed by the House, H.B. 1147 creates a Bicycle Pedestrian Program Account within the Maryland Transportation Trust Fund (TTF) and establishes a state Office of Bicycle and Pedestrian Access which would develop a state Bicycle-Pedestrian Master Plan. As passed by the Senate, the bills simply direct the Maryland Department of Transportation to develop the master plan and to budget enough funds to meet related transportation goals. For more information contact Dru Schmidt-Perkins, 1000 Friends of Maryland, at dru@friendsofmd.org. More information also available at http://ohbike.org/mbac/. SALES TAX & TRANSPORTATION BILL REMAINS IN SENATE COMMITTEE House Speaker Casper R. Taylor Jr.'s proposal to dedicate one-fifth of the state sales tax to mass transit (HB 1) remains in the Senate committee chaired by Barbara Hoffman (Baltimore) an opponent of earmarking sales tax revenue for any purpose. Advocates for improved and expanded mass transit initially expressed skepticism over the bill, noting that it was chiefly backed by the highway industry. An amendment adopted on the House floor, however, required that the sales tax revenues be in addition to currently planned transit expenses through at least 2005. For more information contact George Maurer, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, at gmaurer@cbf.org, or Jamie Kendrick, CPHA, at JamieK@CPHAbaltimore.org. _____________________________________ 3. A N N E A R U N D E L C O U N T Y NEW POLL SAYS GROWTH IS STILL #1 COUNTY CONCERN A new poll by Anne Arundel County Community College's Center for the Study of Local Issues recently found that county residents still see growth as the No. 1 problem they face, according to a March 31 report in the Annapolis Capital. Thirty percent of those polled ranked growth-related issues like transportation, traffic, and sprawl as the most pressing problem, followed by education, crime, and drugs, which each received about 20 percent. Growth has apparently topped the list of county resident concerns since it passed crime in the fall of 1997. In concert with the major finding of the poll, planning and zoning services rated lowest on a survey of taxpayer satisfaction with government services. Only 19 percent rated them a "good buy," and they topped the list of "poor buys" with 39 percent. The Center conducts the polls twice per year. The poll of 429 county residents is conducted by political science students studying statistics and has a five percent margin of error. More information about the poll can be found on the Center for the Study of Local Issues Web site at www.aacc.cc.md.us/csli. The March 31 Annapolis Capital article is available online through the archives section of www.hometownannapolis.com. ____________________________________ 4. B A L T I M O R E C I T Y PRESERVATIONISTS MAKE GAINS ON WEST SIDE PLANS Plans for the redevelopment of Baltimore's West Side shopping corridor moved forward last week, even as new questions were raised about future transportation access to the redeveloped area. On April 3 the Maryland General Assembly approved amendments to the Hippodrome Theater funding language that preservationists had sought. The amendments are expected to help prevent wholesale demolition of historic buildings and ensure that existing merchants and property owners are treated fairly. The Baltimore Development Corporation and the Maryland Historic Trust are still negotiating a Memorandum of Agreement addressing some of these concerns. The state legislative effort is the latest in a series of initiatives Preservation Maryland, Baltimore Heritage, and their partners have led to redirect the West Side master plan released in June 1998. That plan originally called for partial or complete demolition of nine blocks in the Howard Street corridor, resulting in the displacement of 80 merchants and the loss of 75 buildings which contribute to the Market Center National Historic District. Despite this recent legislative success, discussion at a Baltimore Architecture Foundation Forum on March 29th raised questions about how the area's multiple transit links will be incorporated into the plan. Additionally, an April 1 Sun report on the Weinberg Foundation's release of its plan to develop "Howard Street USA" reflected those concerns from another perspective. As reported, the Foundation's plan deems a new large parking garage necessary to attracting national chain retailers. For more information, contact Jamie Hunt, Preservation Maryland, at JHunt@PreserveMd.org, or Amy Menzer, 1000 Friends of Maryland, at amenzer@friendsofmd.org. April 1 Sun story available at http://www.sunspot.net/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?section=cover&pagename=story&storyid=1150300207680 DOWNTOWN PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WORKS Beginning this May, downtown pedestrians will see a large-scale downtown beautification effort underway by Baltimore City and a group of downtown property owners. The five-year, $18 million project will include installing brick sidewalks, antique lamps, and new benches, and will also feature planting new trees and flowers, as reported in the Baltimore Sun March 24. When finished the effort will cover about 40 downtown blocks and will be coordinated with the repaving of downtown streets. Downtown property owners are slated to pay 10 percent of the cost of the sidewalk improvements in front of their businesses, or about $4 per square foot. Full March 24 story available at www.sunspot.net/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?section=archive&pagename=story&storyid=1150300203723 ___________________________________ 5. B A L T I M O R E C O U N T Y PLANNERS RECOMMEND MORE PROTECTION FOR 12,000 RURAL ACRES In another step of the Baltimore County County’s Comprehensive Zoning Map Process (CZMP), planning staff have recommended the most protective zoning designation for 1,671 acres of north-county land. The recommendations bolster only some of the eight requests for such zoning, totaling 11,996 acres, which had been submitted by members of the Baltimore County Planning Board and County Council. The 1,671 acres which staff recommended for the RC2 zoning category, or 1 house per 50 acres, are located in the 3rd council district, where requests for "downzoning" for 5,722 acres had been filed. In the 6th District, county planning staff recommended either RC4 (1 house per 5 acres) or RC2 for all of the 6,273 acres included in the requests for that district, leaving a more specific recommendation to the Planning Board or final decision to the County Council. Many land use policy advocates and local activists do not believe the RC4 zoning gives enough protection to sensitive land, such as the areas of the Gunpowder Watershed targeted for downzoning in the 2 council districts. Before making its own recommendations to the County Council, the Planning Board will hold a public hearing in the 3rd council district on April 11, at 7:30 PM, at Owings Mills Senior High School, and another hearing for the 6th council district on April 25, at 7:30 PM, at Parkville Senior High School. For more information, contact Kristen Forsyth, 1000 Friends of Maryland, at kforsyth@friendsofmd.org. For more information on the rezoning process and requests, contact the Baltimore County Office of Planning, 410-887-3480, or visit: http://www.co.ba.md.us/bacoweb/services/planning/html/czmpprocess.htm ___________________________________ 6. C A R R O L L C O U N T Y VOTE ON REMOVAL OF SITE PLAN REVIEW POSTPONED TWO MONTHS Citizens attending a meeting of the County Planning and Zoning Commission on March 29, concerned about the diminishing of the authority of the Planning Commission and elimination of public input from the development process, managed to convince the panel to postpone a vote on proposals from the Board of Commissioners and Department of Economic Development for two months. The proposed measures would remove site plan review and oversight by the county citizen planner panel and eliminate plan review by the members of the Subdivision Advisory Committee (SAC), which consists of county and state professionals, including State Highway Administration, Health Department, Soil Conservation, and grading and sediment control staff. Ultimately, many local citizens are concerned that these proposals would lead to the removal of all professional review and landscape requirements from improvements to lots less than 5,000 and 20,000 square feet, respectively. They fear that the proposals display a desperation on the part of county officials for any and all business proposals, a desperation that could result in poorly designed development that ultimately depresses property values in the county. The two-month delay enables county staff to modify the proposal and to seek an attorney generals opinion on the specificity of authority given to the Planning Commission under Article 66B of Maryland's planning code. For more information, contact Neil Ridgely, Finksburg Planning Area Council, at brooksbend@erols.com. More information available on the organization's efforts at www.finksburg.com. APRIL 12 MEETING BEGINS RT. 140 FEASIBILITY STUDY The Maryland Department of Transportation, Carroll County, and the City of Westminster are jointly sponsoring an informational workshop, April 12 at 5:30, on proposed modifications to Rt. 140. The modifications seek to address projected increases in traffic volume and accident rates in this growing corridor as well as revitalization of the Main Street corridor in downtown Westminster. The purpose of the workshop will be to inform the public of the progress made by an ongoing working group and to obtain citizen input. The working group, comprised of local elected officials, business leaders, residents, and government representatives, was established after Governor Glendening rejected a bypass around Rt. 140 in early 1999 on the ground that it violated the state's smart growth principles. The Baltimore Regional Partnership strongly opposed the bypass because of its potential to generate sprawling land use and applauded the Governor for his decision. Led by CPHA, the Partnership helped augment local community opposition to the new highway in the summer of 1998. Local activists remain concerned about what will ultimately result from the working group's feasibility study. For more information, contact Neil Ridgely, Finksburg Planning Area Council at brooksbend@erols.com, Catherine Romero of the Maryland State Highway Administration at CRomero@sha.state.md.us, Amy Menzer at 1000 Friends of Maryland at amenzer@friendsofmd.org, or design consultant Dana Knight at McCormick, Taylor and Associates, dpknight@mccormicktaylor.com. _____________________________________ 7. H A R F O R D C O U N T Y TAX INCREASES TO PAY FOR GROWTH APPEAR LIKELY In light of Harford County's growing commuter population in need of quality schools and police and fire protection, the county's Republican county executive and county council seem ready to back some combination of tax increases, as reported in the Baltimore Sun March 31. County Executive James M. Harkins has offered a proposal to raise up to $15 million by raising the county piggyback income tax from 50% to 60%, raising the amusement tax from 5% to 6%, and increasing some fees for county services. The income tax increase is estimated to cost an unmarried taxpayer earning $25,000 per year about $90 or more each year. The county council must pass the county budget by June 1. Full March 31 Baltimore Sun story available at www.sunspot.net/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?section=archive&pagename=story&storyid=1150300207089 ____________________________________ ABOUT THE BALTIMORE REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP AND NEWSLETTER The Baltimore Regional Partnership is an alliance of five civic, environmental, and anti-sprawl groups: 1000 Friends of Maryland, Baltimore Urban League, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Citizens Planning and Housing Association, and Environmental Defense (formerly the Environmental Defense Fund). This newsletter explores current issues, recent and upcoming events, and ongoing deliberations that affect the region's quality of life through transportation, economic development, and land use policy and planning. We hope to link citizens in the region who are working to fight sprawl, promote clean and efficient transportation, protect valuable farm and forest lands, and revitalize urban areas, older suburbs, and historic towns. Send us information: Let us know about your work on land use and transportation decisions that are affecting the Baltimore region.
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